By Bill Heusinkveld - correspondent
May 07, 2008 05:34 pm
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With the rapidly growing international sales of stump pullers, Miles Bateman and B.A. Fuller decided to retain the Taylor-Critchfield agency in Chicago to assist them to increasing their advertising, departing from the 12-inch ads in local papers. By 1907 they spent about $8,000, carrying single page advertisements in some of the farm papers that cost them as much as $1,900 for a single insertion.
In 1908 the advertising cost went to $12,000, then to$17,000, then up to $38,000. This was bringing in many new orders, which they were filling with the help of the their foundry. A full page was carried in the Orange Judd publications that cost $1,100.
Following the construction of their new plant in 1912, their advertising bill soon reached its maximum of $75,000 a year. They advertised extensively the Country Gentleman and the Farm Journal. Several other farm papers had full pages, and some double pages in colors.
By this time, the firm was also advertising in the international market. The advertisement pictured here was included in the May 1917 issue of a 24-page monthly journal called Tropical Life printed in London for distribution in sub-tropical countries. The paper was discovered in a cave on the island of Okinawa in 1945 by a Harley C. Miller, who was a Marine, serving in the Solomon and Ryukyus Islands. Harley had been looking through a stack of magazines and was amazed to find something about Centerville, his home town. The caption under the picture is “Pulling a Stump 6 Ft. in Diameter in 3 Minutes”. This material was given to our museum by Mildred Stober, whose husband Max became a friend of Harley Mille.
By 1916 the plant carried about 130 people on its payroll. It had five furnaces, which have been very interesting sights for those who have visited the plant. Hercules has always been progressive in improvements on its products.
One of them was a new truck on which the stump pullers were mounted and were moved from place to place. This was quite popular with good sales.
Another departure of the company is the new steel mine car wheel. It was fast showing itself greatly superior to the old wheels. It was on roller bearings saving a great deal of energy in pulling. There was a saving of 200 pounds lift on each car and, in a mine that hoists several hundred tons a day in cars, this was a big item in wear and tear and in power.
Orders have come from many places in the eastern part of the country. And, strange as it may seem, the wheels were even being sold in Pittsburg, the very citadel of the steel manufacturing business in this country. Most of the wheels being used in Iowa were 12 inches while many shipped west and east were 14 and 16 inches.
World War I saw a rapid increase in business, but after the war, the day of the stump puller was ending. The war has also necessitated some other changes in policies. Some of the substances used in crucible steel casting are becoming so scarce that the method was changed to Tropena’s converter steel process, which was installed in May. This was a refining process that made steel from pig iron like the Bessemer process.
In 1923 fire destroyed the steel foundry. It was rebuilt and Hercules began to diversify, building steel castings for bridges, government locks, power shovels etc. Some carnival and coal mining equipment was part of the manufacturing line.
B.A. Fuller Sr.’s two sons went to Iowa University. After their graduation, they both joined the firm, B.A. Fuller Jr. in 1927 and Lee Fuller in 1928. However the great depression was just ahead, and Hercules business nose-dived. Lee left Hercules for other pursuits but B.A. Jr. remained. B.A. Fuller Sr. grieved over the employee lay-offs and reduced hours. Grief and stress of the depression years affected his health, and he died in January, 1937. His son, B.A. Fuller Jr. took over as President of Hercules.
Business gradually improved, and World War II really launched the Company on a new era of prosperity. Lee returned to the business. Defense contracts gradually expended employment.
The building was enlarged. Employment was consistently between 500 and 600 people.
Shortly after the war, Hercules was sold to Batavia Metal Product with Dr. Henry Garson as President.
Garson was shortly charged with wartime tax evasion including conspiracy and bribery, and Batavia Metals entered bankruptcy. All equipment, machinery and inventory was auctioned. Thus came the demise on one of Centerville’s early and thriving industries.
After Hercules ceased to exist in 1946, B.A. Fuller Jr. established the Fuller Manufacturing Co., erecting a new building at 18th and Green St. I will tell you about this industry next week.
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